Inflation and the price of…everything!
I don’t know about the rest of you mommies, but everything is getting really expensive! Have you noticed the price of groceries lately??? This hasn’t been helping my budget one bit!
Here’s the breakdown of my current economic status: I haven’t had a raise in over two years, it costs $100 to fill up my gas tank, my company doesn’t allow me to work from home anymore and they just sent out an email today saying they are raising our health insurance premiums, and groceries are getting ridiculously expensive!
According to Robert Gavin, journalist for The Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/), food prices are increasing “at the fastest rate since 1990″. Of course, we’ve enjoyed nearly two decades of low food inflation. But now, Gavin points out “prices for staples such as bread, milk, eggs, and flour are rising sharply, surging in the past year at double-digit rates, according to the Labor Department.” Additionally, “milk prices…increased 26 percent over the year [and] egg prices jumped 40 percent.”
In a nutshell, the economy is scaring me. Are we headed for something much worse than a recession? Are we headed for a depression? Some analysts think so (http://www.businessandmedia.org/printer/2008/20080314131851.aspx).
As a woman this scares me. As a mommy, this terrifies me. I am responsible for the lives of my kids. I need to feed them, clothe them, and shelter them — at the very least. When I start to worry that these basic human needs might be jeopardized, I start to get that panicky feeling in the pit of my stomach.
However, when I start to feel that panic, I remind myself: my grandparents survived some very tough economic times and turned out just fine; and people in other countries have to endure much worse on a regular basis. I remind myself that I have been spoiled by fast food restaurants, grocery stores overflowing with variety, big screen tvs and endless forms of entertainment. But, I can handle some rough times. I’m strong. Don’t ever forget that, ladies. All mommies have a deep strength inside of them. And when we really need it, it shows up without fail.
Working in the technology field is not the safest career environment when the economy falls apart. Businesses don’t invest in technology when they’re struggling. But, I can do other things if it comes right down to it. I’ve had many jobs in the past when I had to make ends meet. One year, when I was about 19, I had eight jobs. Not all at once; but, throughout the year. So I know I can figure out a way to make money if I have to figure out alternatives. If I end up flipping burgers, I’ll probably be a little peeved, but maybe it will come with incentives like: free food.
Also, here are a few things I’m doing to save money right now:
- I have a secondary checking account I deposit a small amount of money into with every paycheck. I don’t touch this money unless I have to (meaning I need it to pay bills or buy groceries).
- I carpool to work unless I have to take care of something personal before or after work.
- I recycle bottles and cans. It doesn’t give me much. But, it’s a little extra cash in hand. (I haven’t started digging through trash cans. Nasty! I really hope it doesn’t come to that! I just recycle the items used in our household.)
- I stopped buying paper plates and plastic cups. This saves money and helps me feel like I’m doing more for the environment. Although, I am running the dishwasher a lot more…so I’m not exactly saving water.
- I don’t spend frivolously on vacations or unnecessary junk items I don’t need.
- I own a carpet shampooer so I don’t have to pay a professional cleaner to clean my carpets. It cost $200 and has paid itself off many times over. With a crawling baby, it is important to me to have clean carpets.
- I put money into my 401K account with every paycheck.
- If I’m not planning on going out, I skip a shower. I never, ever thought I would be okay with this concept. But, being a mommy has made it easier. If I’m alone with baby Charlie, it’s hard to find the time to shower anyway. (Don’t mean to gross anyone out. Just being real.)
- I track everything we spend in our household in a MS Excel file. This allows me to see exactly where my money is going and areas where I might be overspending.
- I clip coupons. This is a pain in the rear! Sometimes I fall behind on it. It’s definitely hard to keep up with because coupons are constantly expiring and you don’t want to buy something just because you have a coupon. But, I have had days when I saved $60 in one day on groceries by simply using coupons.
- I use grocery store club cards. I’ve found if you don’t have one, you get ripped off. If you have an option to shop at a store that doesn’t require one, you may get better deals. But, I don’t suggest driving really far out of the way. With the price of gas, it probably wouldn’t be very cost effective.
- I use air conditioning a little less. We use fans when we can stand it. But, this is hard. I live in an area that can get up to and over 100 degrees. And I’m a creature of comfort due to my spoiled, American life.
Things I still need to work on:
- Going out to eat — It’s hard for us mommies to make dinner after a long day (regardless of whether you are a stay-at-home mommy or a work-out-of-the-home mommy). I tend to over-indulge in restaurant and convenience food.
- Keeping up with the budget — Although I have this beautiful MS Excel file to track expenses. I can get really behind on it and sometimes let it go completely. It’s a lot of work to keep track of everything you spend.
- Using coupons — Although I do use them sometimes, I don’t use them as often as I could. Once again, it’s hard to keep up with this.
If you haven’t yet started thinking about some of these things, you might want to start now. At the very least, if the economy picks back up, you’ll only be ahead of the game.
Think Tough!
Mommy Sophia
References:
Gavin, R. (March 9, 2008). The Boston Globe: Surging costs of groceries hit home. Retrieved June 17, 2008, from:(http://www.boston.com/)
Poor, J. (March 14, 2008). Not Just Recession, Clinton Appointee Talking ‘Depression’. Retrived June 17, 2008, from: http://www.businessandmedia.org/printer/2008/20080314131851.aspx
